Stapleton’s Sunday: 40th b’day, birth of twins and ACM win

Sunday is a day Chris Stapleton will always remember: His wife gave birth to twin boys, he celebrated his 40th birthday and he won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Stapleton didn’t attend the show in Las Vegas, but host Reba McEntire announced the birth of the boys when his album, “From a Room: Volume 1,” was named album of the year.

Stapleton, who released two top-selling albums last year, is the top nominee with eight. This year marks his first nomination for entertainer of the year, where he will battle Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, who has won the honor the last two years.

Lambert also made history Sunday: Her win for song of the year helped her surpass Brooks and Dunn as the most decorated act in ACM history.

“Thank you, guys, so much for sharing my broken heart with me,” Lambert said onstage, standing with “Tin Man” co-writers Jack Ingram and Jon Randall.

Lambert is the current record holder for most consecutive wins for female vocalist of the year; this year her competition in the category includes Carrie Underwood, McEntire, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini.

Lambert helped the country music community, returning to Vegas six months after a massive shooting in the city, remember the victims not in song, but with words to open the ACM Awards.

Lambert said the world can be “united through the healing power of music,” while Bryan said “music helps us remember what really matters in life.” At the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Morris said music “makes us stronger” and Thomas Rhett said music gives us “a chance to rejoice.”

Aldean closed the emotional moment, saying in respect to the victims and music fans, “we celebrate the music tonight. America, this is your ACM Awards.”

The 2018 awards show, airing on CBS, comes six months after a lone gunman killed 58 people at a country music festival in Sin City in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The ACMs, however, is typically known as the genre’s biggest party of the year.

Aldean, who was onstage when the shooting started at the Route 91 Harvest Festival last October, will perform Sunday. McEntire will also perform and is hosting the show, a year after Bryan and Dierks Bentley hosted.

“It takes one woman to do the job of two men,” she said, earning a rousing applause.

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard wore an all-red ensemble and Brian Kelley was in all-white when they hit the stage with pop singer Bebe Rexha to perform the massive hit “Meant to Be,” which is spending its 19th week on top of Billboard’s Hot country songs chart. It ties Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk On By” as the third longest-running song of all-time on the chart.

Other pop stars will invade the country awards show, including Kelly Clarkson and Julia Michaels.

Other performers include Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Urban, Little Big Town and Rhett.

Underwood, who will perform her new song “Cry Pretty,” will give her first television appearance after injuring her face and wrist last year due to a fall at her home.

Rhett earned six nominations, Urban and songwriter-producer Shane McAnally are up for five awards, and Lambert and Morris will each compete for four honors.

Little Big Town, Midland and Sam Hunt, whose “Body Like a Back Road” is the longest-running No. 1 song of all-time on Billboard’s Hot country songs chart, all have three nominations each. “Body Like a Back Road” is nominated for song of the year and single record of the year.

Other performers include Bentley, Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Kane Brown, Dan + Shay, Chris Janson, Midland, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker, Brett Young and Chris Young. Ashton Kutcher, Cam, Drew Brees and Eve will present awards.

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Online:

http://www.acmcountry.com/

Miranda Lambert accepts the award for song of the year for “Tin Man” at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Maren Morris performs “Rich” at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Kenny Chesney performs “Get Along” at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Host Reba McEntire speaks at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Host Reba McEntire speaks at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Miranda Lambert arrives at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Jason Aldean, left, kisses Brittany Kerr as they arrive at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Luke Bryan arrives at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Brian Kelley, left, and Tyler Hubbard, of Florida Georgia Line, arrive at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Dierks Bentley arrives at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Ashton Kutcher arrives at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Dave Haywood, from left, Hillary Scott, and Charles Kelley, of Lady Antebellum, arrive at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Nicole Kidman, left, and Keith Urban arrive at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Philip Sweet, from left, Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook and Kimberly Schlapman, of Little Big Town, arrive at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)